Alumni News

Joe Ben LaGrone - Member of the Class of 59 Receives Honors

Joe Ben LaGrone, a native of Deadwood, has been inducted as a Notable Alumni by the
Alumni Association of Centenary College of Louisiana. LaGrone, a 1961 magna cum laude
graduate of Centenary, was recognized for his professional and leadership accomplishments
that have spanned 5 decades throughout the U.S., the Far East and parts of Europe.
While at Centenary Mr. LaGrone, son of the late Temple D. and Zona Mae LaGrone, was
a member of Omicron Delta Kappa - honorary leadership society - and Alpha Chi - honorary
academic society. As a senior at Centenary, he successfully competed with students
from the U.S., Canada and Mexico and received a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship for graduate
studies.

While doing graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Mr. LaGrone
was selected on a national competitive basis for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission's
(AEC) Management Intern Program. From that time in 1962 until his retirement in May
of 1995, he was involved in every major AEC and Department of Energy (DOE) program
including responsibilities for basic research, all energy sources, design and building
of nuclear weapon components, enrichment and sale of uranium for commercial nuclear
power plants in the U.S, Europe, the Far East, and for the enrichment of uranium for
reactors that power the U.S. Navy's nuclear aircraft carriers and submarines.

Mr. LaGrone rose from a trainee position to a Senior Executive Level VI - the highest
career level in the Federal Service - and during his 17 years as Manager of the San
Francisco and Oak Ridge Operations Offices he led and managed some of the largest
and most complex operations of the DOE, including world class production and manufacturing
facilities, the National Strategic Petroleum Reserve and some of the world's premier
research and development laboratories including the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,
the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, The Stanford Linear Accelerator Center,
the Jefferson National Accelerator Center and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Annual
budgets for these responsibilities ranged from approximately $ 2.5 to $ 3.8 billion.
Throughout this period he built a national reputation for leading and successfully
effecting change, developing numerous innovations, growing and developing future managers
and other staff and was at times, in addition to his regular responsibilities, chosen
by various Secretaries of the DOE to fix some of the Department's most troublesome
projects.

Along with the honor bestowed by Centenary College, Mr. LaGrone has been recognized
throughout the White House, Congress, States, the DOE, and the private sector for
the breadth, depth and success of his leadership and managerial capabilities. On several
occasions he was given - and successfully executed - some especially difficult and
nationally visible assignments including: served as Acting Deputy and Acting Under
Secretary of DOE for 8 months in 1981; organized and led a National Special Project
Office that reformed the Low Income Weatherization Program, these sweeping changes
had a quick, dramatic and positive impact on the plight of many since the rules were
simplified, liberalized and management of the project was substantially improved.
Mr. LaGrone was later assigned the National Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in 1983
and completely revamped this project that was mired in management, political and other
problems that had created national and international concerns about the reliability
of the SPR. The changes that Mr. LaGrone instituted resulted in a successful project
which at the height of the Gulf War (Desert Shield/Desert Storm) sold and delivered
about 21 million barrels of crude oil to refineries to demonstrate to the nation and
the world that the U.S. had the capability to rely upon its strategic oil reserves
in the event of supply interruptions.

In addition to winning the prestigious Woodrow Fellowship, Mr. LaGrone's professional
accomplishments have earned him other national awards and international recognition:U.S. Congressional Fellow - selected based upon national competition and served on
thestaff of the ranking member of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy and the staff
of theJoint Committee itself. Distinguished Executive Rank Award - selected from among all
Federal Senior Managers during the first year of this programs existence. Award was
approved and presented personally by President Carter in a Rose Garden Ceremony. Secretary's
Gold Medal Award - DOE's highest award for leadership and managerial achievements.
Secretary's Exceptional Service Gold Medal Award - presented for his work as Acting
Deputy and Acting Under Secretary. Doe's Meritorious Award - presented for accomplishments
in Diversity. The National Distinguished Service Award from the Federally Employed
Women's Organization - their highest award. The Governor of Tennessee's Award for
numerous initiatives to assist and enable individuals with handicapping conditions.
A Letter of Appreciation from the Government of Kuwait for providing meteorological
towers and other equipment to help deal with environmental problems created by Iraqi
sabotage of oil wells. Numerous national and regional awards by small businesses including
women and minority owned and small disadvantaged businesses. A Resolution of Appreciation
from the City of Oak Ridge for creating over 3,000 new jobs.

Mr. LaGrone was among a handful of federal officials who conceived and led the movement
to begin the cleanup of nuclear wastes and to institute effective pollution prevention
programs at DOE sites. He was the driving force in TN, KY, MO, and OH that brought
together Federal and State officials, labor and special interest groups to address
these serious environmental problems. He combined these efforts with policies of openness,
candor and direct access to himself by federal and contractor personnel, public officials,
labor leaders, the general public and the news media.

After retiring, Mr. LaGrone worked in the private sector in the U.S. and the United
Kingdom and later formed his own consulting company. The Socogee Corporation whose
principal clients are engaged in national defense, homeland security, energy, and
environmental clean up. Mr. LaGrone is also involved in a number of volunteer activities:

Served as a member of the Board of Directors, Museum of Appalachia.

Mentors individuals who are unemployed or underemployed by assisting them in counseling,
job searches, resume preparation, interview skills and communication skills.

Provides advice and advocacy for elderly and under represented individuals to help
them resolve issues with government entities at all levels.

LaGrone is a 1957 graduate of Carthage High School and a 1959 Honor Graduate from
Panola College. He credits his Panola professors, particularly William E. Stephens,
Jr., with teaching him the fundamentals of surviving and succeeding in college. "Steve
taught me about academic discipline and how to study! That has always served me exceedingly
well. President M. P. Baker, Dean Travis Williamson, Helen Williamson and Rosalind
Ulmer formed the rest of that critical mass that ignited my curiosity and drive. What
I learned from them prepared me for the very challenging academic atmosphere at Centenary
and enabled me to learn and to compete successfully with some of the best of the best.
I especially owe an enduring debt to Centenary. It readied me for that next big step
in life by opening and expanding insights into those events and currents of thought
that shape the landscape of our fabric - specifically, a curiosity about ideas and
people, politics, philosophies, economics, literature, art, religions, social norms
and structures, and cultural values - themes of intellectual thought that I first
encountered with Vernon Wooley, a high school teacher far ahead of his time! He taught
me Spanish and had those wonderfully gifted insights into human behavior that imparted
to me the essentiality of understanding and dealing fairly and compassionately with
everyone."

"My parents filled my head with enduring principles and set the compass that's guided
my life. What I learned from them on that farm along the banks of Socogee Creek is
the core values and key lessons that have always been central to whom I am." Joe
Ben and his wife, the former Peggy McDaniel and daughter of the late Herman and Gertrude
McDaniel, live in Oak Ridge, TN. They have 3 children and 3 grandchildren.

Panola College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees and certificates of completions. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Panola College.

Panola College is an Equal Opportunity Institution that provides educational and employment opportunities on the basis of merit and without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, or genetic information.

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